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Van Meter State Park features remnants of the Missouria Indian village that sat at the Great Bend of the Missouri River, marked on a map by Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet in 1673. A hand-dug earthwork -- Old Fort -- and several burial mounds lie within the park’s boundaries. The state’s Indian history is interpreted in displays and exhibits at the park’s Missouri’s American Indian Cultural Center. For outdoor enthusiasts, the park features hiking trails and an 18-acre fishing lake. The boardwalk that leads visitors through the Oumessourit Natural Area takes them over a freshwater marsh and fens, and through bottomland and upland forests. The park’s lofty trees shade picnic sites, picnic shelters and a campground.

About Van Meter State Park

Van Meter State Park features remnants of the Missouria Indian village that sat at the Great Bend of the Missouri River, marked on a map by Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet in 1673. A hand-dug earthwork -- Old Fort -- and several burial mounds lie within the park’s boundaries. The state’s Indian history is interpreted in displays and exhibits at the park’s Missouri’s American Indian Cultural Center. For outdoor enthusiasts, the park features hiking trails and an 18-acre fishing lake. The boardwalk that leads visitors through the Oumessourit Natural Area takes them over a freshwater marsh and fens, and through bottomland and upland forests. The park’s lofty trees shade picnic sites, picnic shelters and a campground.

Home from a very interesting field trip to the site where the Missouria ("People of the River's Mouth") Indians lived 300 years ago. This is the tribe that gave its name to our state and to the river. They pretty much died out around 1800...More

After only 10 months of RV'ing I love state parks even if the hook ups are electric only. We've camped in 5 different parks in 3 different states. If Van Meter State Park is a true example of Missouri's parks, then I want more. While...More

There are a few state parks in north Missouri, but most of those serve as merely picnic stops--no bathrooms, vending machines, or welcome centers. Van Meter State Park is one of those. If you want to stop and have a short picnic and a chance...More

I don't make it every year anymore. But my sister and her husband started the tradition when their children were 4. They are now 41. They park is nice and we would hike all over the place. The kids play games and ride their bicycles....More

We enjoyed our day at Van Meter and took the kids to see the Indian Mounds, the lake, and went through the museum. They thoroughly enjoyed the displays and learned quite a bit. I wish they had more up to date exhibits, but we can't...More

We were so pleasantly surprised at how lovely this park is. The staff at the visitor center were very helpful and welcoming. The Indian Center is very professionally done and full of interesting information -- great for adults and kids. While we didn't camp here,...More

Hi, we just stayed at this campground and must say on the positive note, the park is well mowed and the lone shower is clean. On the downside, there is no supervision, and a loud party moved in around our site and we were literally...More

This state park camp site is very well maintained. Grass is mowed. The shower house is probably the nicest we have used. Clean showers and bathrooms. Good water pressure and plenty of hot water. The campsite is very handicapped accessible. All the sites are very...More

Van Meter is a nice state park located along the Missouri rivver and contains a lot of native american history. We stayed over a holiday weekend at their campground and we were really impressed. The campground was smaller than many of the other state parks...More